Buzz on Business: Tax workshop for businesses set

The Louisiana Small Business Development Center will hold a workshop about tax preparation and financial management for small businesses from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 103 of the Business/Education building at LSU-Shreveport, One University Place.

The cost is $20 per person, $10 for each additional person of the same business. Preregistration is required and can be achieved by visiting the website lsbdc.org.

The workshop will cover basic business tax requirements, business structures including limited liability companies, accounting methods, deductible business expenses, business use of home and auto and other topics. There also will be an opportunity to address specific questions.

The workshop is co-sponsored by the Louisiana Small Business Development Center, the Internal Revenue Service and the Louisiana Society of Enrolled Agents.

Citizens proposes raising rates

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's property insurer of last resort has proposed raising its homeowner's rates by an average of 7.7 percent statewide this year.

The increase is being driven, in part, by higher reinsurance costs for coastal areas south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, according to Citizens' board.

Under the proposed rates, 93 percent of Citizens' policyholders would see an average increase of 5.3 percent. Seven percent of policyholders would see a 30.2 percent increase; all but 2 percent of that is for additional reinsurance costs.

The new rates, if approved by the state Insurance Department, would go into effect June 1.

Louisiana gains 5 rigs in a week

HOUSTON - The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the United States dropped by one last week for a second consecutive week to settle at 1,761, according to Baker Hughes Inc.

The Houston-based oil field services company said 1,323 rigs were exploring for oil and 434 for natural gas. Four were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago, Baker Hughes counted 1,987 working rigs.

Of the major oil- and natural gas-producing states, Louisiana gained five rigs last week, Oklahoma's count increased by four, Alaska added two rigs and California, North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming each gained one. Pennsylvania lost six rigs while Colorado and Texas each dropped two. Arkansas' and New Mexico's counts remained unchanged.

Weekly jobless claims rise

BATON ROUGE - First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week that ended Jan. 5 increased from the previous week's total.

State Labor Department figures show initial claims increased to 3,253 from the previous week's 2,505. Initial claims - at 4,372 - were below the comparable week a year earlier.

The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure of claims, fell to 3,196 from the previous week's total of 3,262.

Continued unemployment claims claimed for the week that ended Jan. 5 increased to 32,001, compared to the previous week's total of 31,009. The four-week moving average for such claims increased to 31,494 from the previous week's average of 31,315.

- From Staff and Wire Reports

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Buzz on Business: Tax workshop for businesses set

The session about tax preparation and financial management for small businesses will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 103 of the Business/Education building at LSU-Shreveport, One